Nothing Lasts Forever
by EdgeOfChaos
Summary: The Meiji era was one of peace, but nothing lasts forever. Revoulutions in Kyoto began silently, breaking loose. Swordsmen began a new era where War is the first step. Battousai may have to come out again whether Kenshin likes it or not.
1. Chapter 1

Nothing Lasts Forever  
  
Chapter 1  
  
***  
  
The young man ran towards the burning village. Smoke filled the air along with the putrid smell of cooked flesh making him want to gag. The fires that had been set still hadn't died down, catching more and more buildings on fire. Screams of the villagers still filled the air as they ran in chaos from swordsmen.   
  
Blood covered everything. The crimson liquid laid in pools around dead bodies and the young man splashed through it, splattering it further. A swordsman targeted the young man, raising a sword to him, but he deflected it with his Sakabatou. The reversed blade sword quickly knocked the sword out of the mans hands and knocked him unconscious with a blow to the neck.   
  
The young man turned around in time to see a long slender sword slash through the air, connecting with smooth flesh. It tore through it easily, covering the sword in blood and staining the ground with it. The older swordsman looked over to the boy with the Sakabatou and grinned. Without hesitating, the man let loose a battle cry and ran towards him. The young swordsman dodged the clumsy attack and hit him on the back of the head. He then looked around for more people that would need his help.   
  
It was to late for him here though. Most of the destruction was to far in for him to help. He looked around in sadness at the damage that was done. The rest of the rouge swordsmen were already well on their way, having left after the job was done. Nobody in the village was left alive.   
  
He cursed silently to himself and started on his way out. He couldn't rest. He couldn't bury the dead. More villages would be destroyed and he needed to warn as many people as he could as soon as possible. It would be at least two days before the swordsmen attacked again. The young man needed to get to Edo, and fast. This was to much trouble for him to handle alone, and he knew the perfect people who could help. For the first time in two years he would be returning. He was still young. A child in most people's eyes. But that didn't take away from his skill. He was trained by one of the greatest people he knew. Not that he would ever admit it.   
  
He ran down the dirt road, exhausted. Nobody in Kyoto had been able to send word to Edo to get help. Somebody should have seen it though. Someone should have noticed that all the swordsmen were concentrating in one place. This wouldn't be the first time a revolution would have been planed, but it was the first one to actually work. Now countless deaths were piling up and wars would soon ravage the lands again. The Meiji era had fallen and sixteen year old Myoujin Yahiko had to warn Kenshin of the trouble.  
  
***  
  
So what do you think? This is my first Kenshin fic. Tell me what you thought in a REVIEW! Should I continue? Was this chapter any good? Was the spelling and grammar and whatever else ok? Do you like it? Criticism is appreciated greatly. 


	2. Chapter 2

Nothing Lasts Forever  
  
Chapter 2  
  
***  
  
In Edo, a beautiful young woman in training clothes looked over a group of kids. She was training them in the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu style at her dojo. Six years prior, when a man claiming to be Hitokiri Battousai said he had been a student of the Kamiya style, parents pulled their children out of the school. A year later, when word got out that members of the Juupon Gatana were defeated by seventeen year old Kamiya Kaoru, assistant master, and eleven year old Myoujin Yahiko by the Kamiya Kasshin style, the sword that protects, the black cloud that had been over the school left. Now, five years later, her little dojo had sixteen students. She only wished that her favorite foul mouthed little twerp would write to her every once in a while, so she wouldn't worry about him.   
  
Two years ago, he had left on his own adventure. At first he had sent letters back to her and everyone at the dojo frequently. But for the past year and a half, they had slowed to a stop. She wondered constantly if he was safe and if she should go looking for him. But she decided that he was old enough to take care of himself. Not that she would ever admit to it.   
  
"Miss Kaoru," a ten year old boy called. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I must have been day dreaming again," Kaoru said with a laugh. "That's it for today. You can clean up and go home now." Her students did as they were told, leaving her to her thoughts.   
  
"Were you thinking about Yahiko again?" a red haired man asked walking up. He was holding a basket of neatly folded clothes with him.   
  
"How'd you guess Kenshin?" Kaoru asked helping him with the clothes.   
  
"I've noticed that you've been very worried about him. It's been almost a year since he's written to us."  
  
"Aren't you worried?"  
  
"Yahiko is very strong and has matured a lot since he first began swordsmanship. I'm very confident in his abilities. He had an excellent teacher you know." Kaoru blushed at the comment turning away.  
  
"Have you heard about the trains?" she asked changing the subject. "They've stopped in Kyoto for some reason."  
  
"I have Miss Kaoru," Kenshin said looking up. "And I have a bad feeling about it."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Just some strange things that I've noticed for the past few years. Not much, but enough for me to notice."  
  
***  
  
"Have you heard from the Watanabe Police Station yet?" an aged officer asked. His name was Saitou Hajime, and he was one of, if not the best officer in Japan. His black hair now sported several gray hairs, and his skin had several burn marks on it. Five years ago during a fight with Shishio Makoto, he had been caught in an explosion, but survived.   
  
"Not yet sir," another officer in his mid twenties.  
  
"Then I think my suspicions may have been right." He put his cigarette out and got up. "I want you to tell Akahito Makioka take an armed force of thirty men to Kyoto tonight."  
  
"What?" the young officer asked. "Sir, don't you think it's a little drastic? It's only been a week since we've last had contact with them."  
  
"Tokuda, have you noticed the changes in Edo?" Saitou asked walking to the window and looking out of it. "How the crime rate has dropped? How every man that hated the Meiji era has now disappeared with their swords? The trains have stopped in Kyoto along with all contact. When I say I want something done, trust my judgement and do it."  
  
"Y-yes sir," Tokuda said backing away with a bow. "Sorry to question your judgement." Saitou's eyes had a gleam in them that signaled death to those who pissed him off today, and Tokuda didn't want to be on the receiving end of his wrath. Saitou watched as the young officer walked out the door and ran down the hallway. He sat back down, taking out another cigarette and lit it.   
  
***  
  
"Sanosuke, when are you going to pay your bills!" Tae said in good humor. She was standing outside the Akabeko with Sanosuke who had just walked out.   
  
"How about when I get paid," he said with a smile and started walking off.  
  
"And when will that be!" she called to he retreating form.  
  
"As soon as I get a job!" he called back with a laugh.  
  
"And that will be as good as never," Tae said to herself, laughing and walking back inside the restaurant. Sano walked down the street with his hands in his pockets, looking around. The fighter for hire had stayed at the dojo with Kaoru and Kenshin, occasionally wondering off. He rounded a corner to go into the back alleys where he new a place where he could gamble. He flipped a quarter in the air, the only money he had, catching it again. He hadn't gone one step before he was knocked down by a young man with black hair. The young man scrambled up mumbling a 'sorry,' and started running again. Sano stared at his form, when suddenly it turned around, wide eyed.   
  
"Sano!" a familiar voice said.   
  
"Yahiko!" he said with a smile that was slowly replaced with a frown. "What happened to you?"  
  
"Come on, we need to find Kenshin," Yahiko said running for the dojo. Sanosuke stared a second before following after the boy. He had definitely grown, now carrying a Sakabatou that he had gotten somewhere. He was also much more mature seeming. Sano picked up the pace and followed him wondering what he had been doing the past two years.   
  
People watched them running by, wondering what the big rush was. Also wondering why the young man was carrying a sword. Yahiko had been running for the past five days almost nonstop to get to Edo. He was beyond exhaustion, only his final destination in mind. He ran up to the dojo, sliding the doors open. He stopped, standing in front of the door, breathing heavily. In front of him stood a shocked Ayame, Suzume, Kaoru, and Kenshin.   
  
"Finally," he breathed out smiling, and then collapsed.  
  
***  
  
What did you think? REVIEW and tell me. Was everything okay? No mistakes? REVIEW and tell me what you thought about it. Also sorry that it took so long. I had this weird notion that I had already put this chapter up... 


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